saltandsambar
Comic Journaling for women
A 4-week, live, online workshop for self-expression, reflection, and storytelling through simple comics in a women-exclusive cohort.
5th September to 26th September
Live sessions on Zoom
Saturdays: 7-9pm IST
By Sameera Maruvada - cartoonist, writer, founder of Saltandsambar webcomics
Have you ever wished you could journal consistently, but found yourself staring at a blank page?
What if your thoughts, memories, emotions, and everyday moments could be explored through simple comics instead? In a world where women's stories have historically taken a backseat, this workshop ensures that women come together to reflect on their everyday lives through the art of comic journaling.
Join Sameera Maruvada, a full-time cartoonist, writer, feminist and the creator behind SaltandSambar comics, for a four-week journey into the world of comic journaling. This fun and interactive workshop is designed to help you explore visual storytelling to reflect on your daily life, emotions, and experiences.
What is Comic Journaling?
Comic journaling is a creative practice that combines drawing, writing, and reflection.
You don't need to be an artist. You don't need fancy materials. You don't need a 'good' story.
In this live workshop, we'll use simple comic-making exercises to explore our thoughts, experiences, memories, and emotions in a playful, low-pressure way.
Think of it as journaling—with pictures.
Why is it exclusive to women?
At first, the batches were open to everyone. However, the ratio of women participating the sessions was always higher, and I was told that they see it as a safe space to talk, discuss, draw, and to dedicate time to build a creative habit in their busy lives. Women from all walks of life - be it mothers, daughters, students, retired professionals - started joining the cohorts.
And moreover, women's stories have always taken a backseat in traditional media. They are mostly written to support the male leads, but lack a depth of character of their own. This is my little attempt to give women the tools so they could draw and share the stories that matter to them.
Not a drawing class.
This is a guided comic journaling and visual storytelling workshop where you'll explore your experiences, memories, emotions, and observations through comics. Drawing skills are taught along the way, but the focus is on self-expression, reflection, and finding your unique voice.
Who is this for?
This workshop is for women who:
Want a creative way to reflect on their lives
Feel stuck with traditional journaling
Love comics but don't know where to start making their own
Want to reconnect with their creativity
Are curious about visual storytelling
Need a gentle space for self-expression
No drawing experience required.
How does it help?
Comic journaling offers a simple, accessible way to:
Reflect on your experiences
Build a creative habit
Tell your own stories
Program Structure
✨Week 1
Introduction + journaling exercises
Learn how to transform your thoughts, emotions, and daily experiences into engaging, visual narratives. You’ll understand the power of imagery and how to express yourself with simple drawings.
✏️Week 2
Comic Study + Building a narrative
Develop your unique artistic voice while experimenting with different comic styles. We’ll explore visual storytelling techniques that make your journal both fun and meaningful. We'll also learn basic drawing techniques and composition styles.
🎨Week 3
Comic Study
We explore some feminist comics and female graphic novelists, observe and understand different styles of work, and try to implement them in our visual storytelling.
🖌️Week 4
Making comic journals - Interactive session
This is a student favorite. All the students are paired and an interactive comic journal is made, through shared experiences.
By the end of the workshop, you'll have:
A new tool for self-reflection
Greater confidence in expressing yourself through comics
A completed comic journal entry of your own
A simple framework you can return to whenever you want to process experiences, document memories, or reconnect with your creativity
Most importantly, you'll discover that comics don't have to be perfect to be meaningful.
Student work
Register here
4-week live Comic Journaling Workshop for Women
with an intimate cohort consisting of not more than 12 women
Price ₹7,499
By the end of the workshop, you will have:
A collection of personal comic journal entries
A simple framework for turning memories, emotions, and observations into comics
Greater confidence in visual storytelling
A sustainable creative practice
What students are saying
''Really enjoyed the sessions I’ve always been into exploring art and been following you from your youtube days it’s been a pleasure learning and got me to start drawing after so long since 2021 also really liked the study of other artists and recommendations.''
Meenakshi
''This session helped me discover a new skill set, I didn't know that i could tell a story through comics but now i do. I loved the interactive approach. As I'm a bit shy and insecure, Sameera did help me to talk as she eased the atmosphere.''
Aswani
''Enjoyed all the sessions and the graph of satisfaction has raised to a high point at the end of the session. Loved the encouragement and guidance.''
Danny
By the end of this workshop, you’ll have the skills and confidence to continue journaling through comics, plus a solid foundation for using art as a tool for reflection and emotional release.
FAQs
Not at all.
This workshop is designed for complete beginners as well as experienced artists. The focus is on self-expression and visual storytelling, not artistic perfection.
You'll learn simple comic-making and drawing techniques that help you communicate your ideas, but stick figures are absolutely welcome.
No.
While you'll learn basic drawing and comic-making skills, this is primarily a self-expression and visual storytelling workshop.
Through guided prompts, discussions, examples from artists around the world, and creative exercises, you'll explore your own experiences, memories, emotions, and observations through comics.
All sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the course portal, and will be available for 30 days post the last session.
The workshop runs for 4 weeks.
Live sessions take place every Saturday from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM IST.
Please try to attend live whenever possible, as you'll benefit from the discussions, sharing, and community experience.
You can start with just basic materials:
Paper or a sketchbook
A pen or pencil
Optional coloring materials
Detailed material list will be sent to participants upon registering.
Yes.
Participants will get access to a private Discord community where you can share your work, connect with fellow comic journalers, ask questions, and continue conversations between sessions.
This workshop is open to adults aged 18 and above.
It's ideal for anyone interested in creativity, journaling, storytelling, self-reflection, comics, or finding new ways to express themselves—regardless of their artistic background.
No. Sharing is always optional. You're welcome to participate at the level that feels comfortable to you.